Miscalculations and Misinterpretations
by Vicks111
Summary: Oneshots. Sometimes, Yūko wondered if her job turned out harder than it should, just by the simple fact that she had known Clow Reed.


**Disclaimer: These characters are property of CLAMP**

_I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be writting oneshots when I have two stories waiting to be updated! But this story just wouldn't leave me, and the plot bunnies wouldn't cooperate with me. This actually works as a small prequel to my story **Broken Toy**, and well, I've been wanting to write Yūko for a while now._

_Needless to say, there are spoilers in here for several clamp works, namely Cardcaptor Sakura, Tokyo Babylon, and XXXholic (wait, actually, I dont think there are actual spoliers for this one XD). Still, if you are here it is because you know the story, and hopefully the others too._

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_**Miscalculations and Misinterpretations  
**_

**By Vicks111**

_1995 _**  
**

Sometimes, Yūko wondered if her job turned out harder than it should, just by the simple fact that she had known Clow Reed; today, especially, was one of these days. She had gotten up early, and dressed herself in her best casual robes for one of _her _own jobs, those that had nothing to do with _him. _She was meeting the previous Sumeragi clan head in Kyoto, namely to inform her about what was about to happen in Tokyo in 1999. A good four years to go, still, more than enough time for her to prepare the boy for the fight to come, although they probably already knew about it anyway. But even so, she was not just visiting the Sumeragis, her real target in Kyoto was a bigger prey…one with a very distinctive black shikigami, the Sakurazukamori.

She was sure that once she had dealt with the Sumeragis, tracking down the Sakurazukamori would be an easy feat. She just needed to get near the boy, look down at his scarred hand, and pick up the magic scent of the assassin. The magic trail was old, but it never fainted, especially the ones left by the Sakurazukamori. She would also take advantage of meeting him to give him a piece of her mind, for doing what he did to poor Sumeragi-kun.

She then proceeded to light up a fireplace she had at the back of her garden, next to her pond. On nights she used water to divine, but on days, fire was powerful. She did the same ritual before any job, it wasn't really necessary but still, it was better to be prepared for any eventuality. She sat down in front of the fire, almost in a perfect lotus position, with the slight difference that her hands were crossed in front of her as she meditated.

As the images of what would happen today appeared in her mind, and she followed them, she saw a small tiny glow that she would have passed up and ignored if it hadn't been so close to the Sumeragi boy. She moved up to it, apparently it was on an antique Chinese vase that depicted the moon. Extending her hand, she reached up to it, just for her mind to change the scene she was seeing abruptly.

She knew, she just _knew_ that this was not Kyoto. Far from it, this place looked familiar, even if she had never been there. A boy, he couldn't be older than 15, was shown to her, standing on an empty kitchen. She didn't know who he was, but once he turned and saw his face, she recognized him right away. This was Clow's son, the brother of the cardcaptor. But why was she looking at him _right _now?

The scene changed and the boy was now on a place full of books, looking at something on a desk. Yūko moved to see better, and there it was, the book resting face down. The back cover that showed Clow's sign and the seal of the Judge were in full display. She turned to the boy, who was frowning deeply. Clow never said _anything _about the boy, there were no plans involving _him_. He then moved forth his hand and placed it on top of the cover. Yūko saw as the book glowed and floated above the desk. Oh no, oh _hell no…_

She snapped back to reality. She was sweating profusely, and agitated, she used too much magic, but damn, it had been worth it. Had she not used as much, she wouldn't have seen the _plan_ change. Trust _them_ to change what was meant to happen. Trust them to ruin their carefully lined plans. Standing up, she berated with herself as she decided that Kyoto could _wait._

It was all Clow's fault; he made the mistake, he never looked into the boy. That miscalculation was going to cost them now, unless she hurried. She could still stop him, she still had the time. And she would have stopped him, if a couple of ghosts hadn't appeared at the front of her shop.

oOo

Touya had decided to skip school today; he just couldn't make himself to the idea of going and being there all day, not today. He had made plans to meet Kaho at the shrine, and then they would spend the whole afternoon together. Sakura was going to be practicing all afternoon at school, and around 5:00 pm he'd be there to pick her up. He had more than enough time.

As he walked into the kitchen, he stared at the duties board. His dad left a hurried note saying that he wasn't going to be able to prepare dinner today, and that he was sorry. On an even more hurried note on the refrigerator he said that he had brought home some new books, and if that if he was interested, he could go ahead and read them, they were at the basement.

He was not going to have enough time to be with Kaho if he dwindled around in the house reading. He was just going to see the titles, then he was going out, and take a stroll around while waiting for Kaho to get out of school. That was his plan for the day.

oOo

"I don't have the time to deal with you two!" She practically yelled at the couple of ghosts in front of her. Every now and then, a ghost or two would get drawn by the kekkai around her shop, and get trapped by it. It was a tedious long job getting them out of there, but that could wait. She moved forward, but as she tried to exit the shop, the kekkai stopped her abruptly. Great, the ghosts had _locked_ her into her own barrier.

Turning around to face them, they bowed and apologized to her. She sighed; it really wasn't their fault the kekkai had gone berserk. They were really powerful, so it was only logical for it to act out the way it did. But seriously, this wasn't the right time!

oOo

After eating some breakfast, Touya decided to check on the books his father had mentioned. He opened the door that lead to the basement and headed downstairs, turning the lights on once he got there. He figured the books would be lying at the desk, easily for the grabs. He walked up to the desk, and when he looked at the books, one in particular had caught his attention. It was not the red leather, nor the weird gold insignia engraved in it, but the _glow_ of the book itself. It had magic, powerful magic, and he wondered why exactly it was at his home. His dad most likely didn't know, but Kaho always said that coincidences didn't exist.

He frowned, recalling something mother had said once. She used to tell him many things about what she _saw_, but most of the time, he didn't understand her. Touya could see spirits and magical energies, but she was much more powerful, she could see things in her dreams; things that had happened or where about to happen. She said that one day, he would find an unexpected guest at home, and he had to deal with it, because neither Sakura nor his dad would be able to deal with it yet. A magical guest, she said, and he'd know right away once he saw it. She also said that if _he _didn't do anything, nothing would start, and if nothing could start, nothing could end. He knew she told him to do it, to deal with this, but how exactly he had no idea. As he was, he didn't want to even touch the book. He thought about asking Kaho, but quickly dismissed the idea, if mother told him to do it by himself, then he would. He wouldn't mind her being here right now, though.

oOo

Yūko seeing she wasn't going to make it in time anyways, decided to attend the matters at hand. Maybe she could get this done and have enough time to go to Kyoto. Tomoeda, though, was out of the question.

She decided then, that even though they may be trapped, maybe they did have a wish. They went to the backyard, and there, they told her their story. They had died in an accident decades ago, leaving behind their only son. They lost track of him, and they wanted to find him and verify he was living fine. They couldn't move on until they did.

Ghosts this days, Yūko thought, they always have the same tragic stories. But as they were, they really were quite powerful, and maybe she could get something useful out of them in exchange. Of course, she explained that she could grant them their wish, but the pay would be hefty. She didn't elaborate on that, not until she knew just how hard it would be to find their son. It was already noon by the time she set out to divine their paths in life.

oOo

Touya looked at his watch, it was noon already, and he hadn't decided yet what to do with the book. Kaho was going to be home in an hour, and if he were not to be there on time, she would worry and come to his house. And that was not a good idea right now.

He could feel the powerful energies from the book, they were several, and they felt alive. That was the oddest thing about it. Touya was not one to act recklessly, but he wasn't one to stand around and wait for things to happen either. But he hesitated; he hesitated when he tried to touch the book. His head told him his mother was right, and he had to do _something_, but his instincts told him to back away, and let things be.

Frowning even more, his hand moved forward and touched the back cover of the book. He placed the hand atop the golden moon, and as he did, he felt himself applying all the magic he had to his hand. It was unconscious, but the fact was, he had just used _his _magic on the book. And it glowed, floating above the desk as it did.

Touya just stared as all around him, magic gathered around the book, and whirled around, creating a magical maelstrom. He covered his eyes, the white light exuding from the book was blinding. For some time he stayed like that, with his eyes covered by his hands, not wanting to see what had come out of the book, but eventually he moved his hands away. There, in front of him, an angel floated, looking at him with the most surprised look he had seen.

oOo

She felt it all the way to Tokyo. It was not so much as if she had been attuned to it, but she was expecting it to happen soon, and Yue's aura was just too bright to be dismissed. Vaguely, she wondered why Clow never did anything to mask the being's aura.

She forced herself to keep meditating; she was so close now to find the missing son, and to direct them on their right path. She noticed her visions had taken her outside a building, but she couldn't really recognize the place. She kept moving, and she entered it, finally noticing exactly what the place was. A class room opened up to her, and there a man stood in front of the chalk board, turning himself to look at her, almost directly, and smiling. Of course, it had to be _him._

oOo

Yue was stunned beyond words. He was not supposed to be out of the book, not before the final judgement. He looked at the book on the desk, and noticed it _still _was closed. He then turned to the boy who had released him. Okay, he wasn't entirely to blame for it, seeing as Yue helped him break the seal…a little bit. But it wasn't his fault either, inside the book, the boy's aura felt _just _like Clow's. Now that he was outside, he noticed, that it was different, but that familiarity still lingered on him.

The boy looked at him, and he wondered why he wasn't scared. For what seemed ages they stood there looking at each other, until the boy spoke, "Are you a ghost?" If the boy knew anything, or not, didn't matter, he was giving Yue the perfect cover for him, "Yes, I was trapped in that book."

The boy's eyes were big with surprise, but he quickly changed that look, to a skeptical one, "I didn't know ghosts could be trapped in books." So he was a smart one, Yue thought, but he wasn't smarter than him, "Ghosts can bind themselves to items and places if they wish. But I was bound by someone else in the book, it was not my doing. For releasing me, I thank you."

The boy was about to say something, but he then used his own magic to send him sleep. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't erase the boy's memories, but hopefully he would think everything was a dream. Quickly, he rushed to hold him before he fell completely to the ground.

oOo

Seeing as she had found the son already, Yūko set herself to see whatever Yue was doing. With Yue and Keroberos, like with the Mokonas, divining or foreseeing their future was nigh impossible. Magical creatures that were not meant to die if possible don't have fates set in stone. Always changing, their fates depended, much like themselves, on the people around them; they acted as catalysts to the mortals' fates. Still, she just needed a constant, a mortal to divine his future, and see how Yue fitted in. It was the only way, and not reliable at all, but it was better than nothing.

She directed Maru to bring her the High Moon Urn she used for water divinations. It wouldn't be as powerful as the fireplace, but with Yue's affinity and his changing future, it would be better. Once she got the vase filled with water she sat down to look through it as she chanted the spell.

"_The flow of time never changes; the only variable is life itself. Show me the constant in the __flowing river that's never the same, and changes according to its surrounding. Show me the stones in the river, the ones that never change"_

The water glowed dimly, as it showed her the boy again. This time, he wasn't alone, though. Yue was placing him on the ground, he probably casted a sleep spell on him. She saw as he headed outside. But once outside, what would he do? What _could _he do? He had been sealed away for centuries; he certainly didn't know what to do, or how the world worked. As the divination pointed her, the constant was the boy, so she looked into what _might _happen.

A new scene was presented in the water, and the boy was there with Yue, but _wasn't_. That wasn't Yue exactly, it certainly had his face, but he wore glasses, and the hair was completely different. Yes, Clow had given them a second form, she recalled now. So, they were together, but she didn't know whether they were together as friends, or as something more. Then the cardcaptor appeared in the scene, standing in one corner, and her brother on the other. Yue was in the middle, and he had a hard time trying to choose one. Yūko knew Clow had set everything for Yue to fall in love with the card mistress, so she was surprised when he walked up to the boy. He chose him over her, when Clow had been intent that the Judge of the cards had been created just for _her._

Yūko knew what to do now. As she finished her divination, she stood and spoke to the couple of ghosts.

"I have found your son; however, you won't be able to find him on your own. I can only direct you to the right path and whether you follow it or not, that's your choice."

"What are we to do?" the ghostly man asked.

"What do we have to pay?" the woman asked on her own.

"What you are to do and what you are to pay, are actually the same. There's someone that will lead you to your son, but in return, you must take care of him. He doesn't know this world, and he needs guidance on the more mundane tasks. I can give you physical forms that will last long enough, but you must arrange everything for him to live a peaceful life. Eventually, he will lead you to your son, and you will know instantly that it is him. I will provide you with a house and money to do so. But you must take care of everything else, legal papers and whatnot."

The two ghosts looked at each other, and then at her agreeing. She smiled as she set about to cast the spell to give them physical forms. Once these were created, she handed them the legal papers for the house in Tomoeda, the key, and enough money for them to live for at least a year. They were to return eventually, and tell hew how the guardian was faring. Stubborn as they were, she already knew they would keep on searching for what they were looking for, even in other cities and countries. They would grow impatient waiting for Yue to lead them where they needed to go, but Yūko knew that eventually, when the time was right he would lead them, and his side of the contract was going to be paid.

With physical forms, the couple was able to leave the shop, Yūko reminded them who exactly they were looking for, and even with his uniqueness, they wouldn't be able to find him for a few days, at least.

Yūko then returned to her urn. The boy had changed the future, but he didn't do it on his own, he wouldn't have been able to. Yue _wished_ to be out, and made it happen. As she looked at the urn, the image of the boy running to his bicycle appeared, he had a great rush. He arrived at a shrine, and was greeted by a shrine maiden. As the maiden looked at him, her eyes seemed sad, and Yūko could see it now, the vision coming up to her without really wanting to. Yes, the boy made a choice that day, and he would pay dearly for it. He did change the future, and his choice was clear. Whatever was now to happen was inevitable.

Finally looking at her watch, she decided that arriving late at Kyoto was better than not going there at all. Taking her purse, she used the magic tunnel to lead her directly to the other city.

As she walked, she realized something. This may not be the only miscalculation they may have done in their plans. Something worse than this could happen, and then, what would she do? She sighed, probably something like what she had done today. But then again, if it hadn't been for the professor, she wouldn't have been able to help Yue, and she probably wouldn't have been able to stop them either. She grinned in spite of herself at the irony of it all. Sometimes, like these, Yūko wondered if her job turned out easier than it should, just by the simple fact that she had known Clow Reed.

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_A/N: And here are all my theories related to CCS/xxxholic. The unreal grandparents, Fujitaka's own past (seriously, someone had to birth him, and yes, I have read the manga), Yue getting out of the book, and Kaho leaving Touya, saying it was inevitable. But my favorite one, is certainly the guardian's fates If you didnt know, there's actually a difference between visions (precognition) and divination. Visions foretell the future clearly, of course, they are rare, and the seers only seem to have them when they are necessary. Divination, on the other hand, answers specific questions, and even though they are easier to do, their answers aren't clear. It takes power and ability to do a good divination._

_  
This story used to have the "Complete" tag, but nowadays, I keep having more oneshot ideas for my storyline. I'll eventually post some others, that wont follow an exact timeline, but are important to me, anyways_

_Just...don't hold your breaths waiting for me to update this. _

_Please read and review!!_


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